The Skies I am Under
by Lotrfn
Summary: Legolas in moments of his life through the years. Written for the October 2016 Teitho contest prompt 'Sky' where it placed 3rd.


Characters are all Tolkien's. Legolas's line in section 5 is from The Fellowship of the Ring. The first two lines in section 8 are paraphrased from The Two Towers.

1.

In the time before he had words Legolas thought the sky was green and gold. He sees his mother's face—red-gold hair against a background of dappled leaves bright with sunlight, not realizing at the time that it was her eyes that held the true color of the sky.

2.

He has climbed to the top of the tree and his golden head breaks through the green leaves to reach the open space among the smallest branches. The blue, cloudless sky surrounds him as the sun warms his upturned face.

3.

He sits on the curved branch, oblivious to the rain that pours down, his eyes on the darkened sky above him. There are no stars tonight—the only illumination comes from the flashes of lightning around him, striking closer each time. His father is in the depths of their Halls, but Legolas needs to be outside. The storm raging around him is far calmer than the one in his heart. His mother is never coming home again.

4.

Legolas arrives in Imladris at sunset, the valley bathed in the light of the setting sun—gold, orange, pink and a dusky purple. He has never seen it lovelier but he cannot take joy from the sight. He has betrayed Aragorn's trust and is here to tell of the Woodland Realm's failure.

5.

He scans the clear blue sky above and then turns to grin at the wizard. "I go to find the Sun!" he tells him with a laugh. Legolas notices the dwarf's disgruntled look and the sight makes him laugh even more as he lightly races across the snow.

6.

He has found a hollow at the base of the mallorn tree and he attempts to find rest there, his eyes gazing up at the canopy of golden leaves above him. He cannot join in the song; his grief is far too raw. He finds he cannot sit either, so he rises and moves to the path. His feet take him to the glade where his companions sleep. All but one, he observes, as he sees the dwarf is still awake. He tilts his head in thought and then, decision made, he crosses over to where Gimli sits. "Walk with me?" he asks. He is surprised when Gimli nods and stands to join him. Wordlessly they follow a path through the trees until they reach a far smaller glade. Legolas sinks to the soft turf, his eyes on the small patch of star-filled sky visible above them. Gimli narrows his eyes but then surprisingly settles next to him on the grass. The words finally come to Legolas and he begins to softly sing of his loss, conscious that the dwarf puts his head in his hands and mourns with him.

7.

The plain of Rohan surrounds them, the vast unending sky overhead but the sunlight burning down still does not slow the Orcs they trail.

8.

This forest is old. So old it makes Legolas feel young again. No hint of sky or sunlight penetrates the dense foliage above him. It is heavy here and though he longs to hear these trees speak the weight of the green is too much for his companions.

9.

The clouds veil Varda's stars but the torches of Saruman's massive army burn bright in the seemingly endless night ahead of them.

10.

It has been a grim night, worse than many even from his time patrolling near Dol Guldur. The sky begins to brighten in the East and his heart kindles with the coming of that light. The darkness cannot hold forever and with it comes the hope of a new day.

11.

He cannot see the sky or the hills that surround them. The fog is dense and grey and though the riders that follow them are not discernible in the gloom, he can sense that they trail their company. No sky, no rock, no horizon is visible on the Paths of the Dead and the Dead march with them.

12.

He hears a call above him and turns his eyes to the sky. Day is dawning and against the early morning light Legolas can make out the forms of the birds that fly above them, circling as they make their way to the sea. There is no turning back. He has heard the cry of the gulls and whatever fate that brings him is determined now. With effort he brings his gaze back down only to meet Gimli's anguished face.

13.

Minas Tirith burns, the sky ahead smudged with smoke, the air around him tinged with ash that he can taste as he breathes it in.

14.

The vast shadow to the east fills the sky, menacing and advancing, yet his eyes are momentarily drawn away from it to the ground below him, as he hears the mighty rending of the earth. The shadow moves closer, looming just above them now but even as he looks up again it begins to drift and wane, dissipating as he watches. The army surrounding him is suddenly in disarray and he realizes Frodo has completed his task.

15.

He follows Gimli's torch into the deepest recesses of Aglarond, his shoulders twitching at the mass of stone around him. He feels confined and ill at ease but he will not trouble his friend by telling him this. "Close your eyes now," Gimli commands and with great effort he reluctantly complies, his hands clenched at his sides and his jaw tight. He hears the hiss of the torch being doused and his heart races, as it had in the deep, dark depths of Moria. He breathes in and out, calming breaths, for there is nothing to fear here. "Now look," Gimli says, his voice coming from Legolas's side and his hand gently patting Legolas's forearm. He opens his eyes and catches his breath, not in fear, but in awe. He is not expecting this. It is as if the sky hangs suspended above him, not cold stone, for Aglarond's deepest cavern glows with the light of the stars.

16.

He can see the nighttime sky among the tree branches when he sits in his flet in Ithilien. The soft breeze catches his hair and the smell of wildflowers drifts over him. Legolas gazes up at the stars and the sound of the waves in his head recedes just enough.

17.

He looks to where the sky meets the sea in the far west. He follows Eärendil's star by night and the far horizon during the day, having no other directions to go by. Gimli sits beside him, grumbling and complaining about this rickety shell he claims the elf has poorly built. The sound comforts Legolas. His knows his ship is sturdy but he does not know how long this last adventure of theirs will take.


End file.
